Cigarette holder



Sept. 15, 1970 J. 1:. STEPHENS 3,528,436

CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed use; 17, 1968 F/GJ INVENTOR JOHN T. STEPHENS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,528,436 CIGARETTE HOLDER John T. Stephens, Washington, D.C., assignor of one-half to John W. Berhman Filed Dec. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 784,406 Int. Cl. A24d 1/12; A24f 5/04 US. Cl. 131-198 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cigarette holder of the type having a cigarette re ceiving end, a throat and a mouthpiece, the throat having a channel therethrough for the ingress of fresh air and a heat zone thermal proximity switch responsive to the burning end of the cigarette after a predetermined burning thereof for controlling the ingress of air through the throat channel. The holder has an upwardly open concave member attached to the throat portion of the holder, integral therewith and extending beyond the cigarette receiving end. A relatively narrow bi-rnetallic strip is fixed to a wall portion at to the free end of the concave member, is spaced from the bottom and extends along the length thereof and terminates beyond the cigarette receiving portion of the holder and covers the air admitting channel in one form and has a frusto-conical extension which enters the channel providing a closure therefore in another. A fresh cigarette placed in the holder extends slightly beyond the end Wall and upon being lit, will burn for a short period of time before the heat from the burning end will cause the bi-metallic switch to bend and open the channel for the ingress of air to the interior of the holder.

This invention disclosed herein is an improved cigarette holder of the type wherein air may be drawn into the holder between the cigarette receiving end and the mouthpiece.

Holders of the above type are old in the art and the improvement herein is the provision of means for controlling the entrance or ingress of the air into the holder.

It is now generally accepted that the gases of combustion can be harmful, and this is, in all probability, largely due to the presence of carbon monoxide. The reason for drawing air into the holder is to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide drawn into the mouth of the smoker by diluting the gases of combustion with the indrawn air.

Heretofore the air was drawn into the holder with the first puff, at which time the gas is cooler and less toxic as the full heat of combustion has not been reached and the gas has also traveled the full length of the cigarette. The result was that the smoke was so diluted and cooled that taste was lost.

Herein the entrance of air is delayed until a predetermined amount of the cigarette has been smoked at which time the temperature of the lit end has reached its approximite maximum and the gas is hotter upon reaching the smoker as it has traveled a lesser distance, and excess cooling will not result, and taste is preserved.

The foregoing is accomplished by a heat zone thermal proximity switch which, when cool, closes the air ingress channel to the holder, and in response to the heat at the burning or flame zone of the cigarette opens the channel or channels.

The heat zone thermal proximity switch is preferably a bi-metallic element fixed at its outer end at a point forward of the cigarette receiving end and having its after end free to move into and out of channel closing position.

The object of the invention is to allow the smoker the enjoyment of early smoke puffs from cigarette combus- 3,528,436 Patented Sept. 15, 1970 tion in their cooler condition with lower concentrations of carbon monoxide and other undesirable products of combustion, while automatically cooling and diluting with air the subsequent later smoke puffs from cigarette combustion that would otherwise be hotter and more concentrated with carbon monoxide and other undesirable products of combustion. Such selective and automatic cooling of the later cigarette puffs should allow the smoker to realize a total integrated pattern of smoke puffs entering his mouth which is cooler, less toxic and more refreshing than are the analogous total integrated patterns of smoke puffs enteringthe smokers mouth from conventionally smoked cigarettes. Also, early puffs that are cooler and less toxic are not cooled and diluted to an excessive degree that prevents their complete enjoyment by the smoker as would be the case in holders which constantly mix air with the smoke stream without benefit of the selective control to be derived from the flame proximity thermal switch.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the description herein when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the holder with a cigarette therein;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view on 2-2 of FIG. 1, omitting the cigarette;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the holder (but not the cigarette) of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a modified embodiment particularly of the thermal switch.

Referring to the drawings, the holder 10 has a cigarette receiving end 12, a throat 14, a mouthpiece 16 and one or more air inlet channels 18. As previously stated this type of holder is old in the art.

Herein there is further provided a concave extension member 20 which carries the switch and provides a guard, the member 20 being attached at its after end to the bottom edge of a depending spacer 22, the upper edge of the spacer being attached to the holder throat 14 rearwardly of air channels 18. The forward end of member 20 carries a vertical wall member 24, and secured thereto in any suitable manner is the switch element, herein a bimetallic strip 26. The strip 26 is preferably of copper overlying invar steel and in response to heat it will flex clockwise about its fixed forward end, and its after end which normally overlies and closes channel 18 will move downwardly and open channels 18.

As shown herein the member 20, spacer 22 and wall 24 are integral and spacer 22 is also integral with the holder 10. As stated the member 20 in cross section is the concave (FIG. 2) and of sufiicient size thta the bimetallic element 26 lies within same and is only exposed from the top, the member 20 thus forming a protective guard for the smokers fingers. Obviously the spacer 22 must be of sufficient depth to space member 20' below the holder to allow full action of the free inner end of element 26.

Also, as clearly seen in the drawings, the member 20 terminates short of the end of the cigarette, the cigarette projecting beyond the forward end of member 20 approximately one-half inch, which member has a concave notch to receive the cigarette.

As previously stated the smoke or gas, When the cigarette is first lit, must pass through tis entire length, and is thus cooled. Additionally tobacco rearwardly of the lit end acts to some extent as a filter, and because of this initial admission of air to the holder is not desirable.

By the time the lit end of the cigarette overlies the bimetallic element 26 full combustion has resulted, the smoke travels a lesser distance and tobacco is also somewhat contaminated by the smoke that has passed through.

3 At this point the element 26 reacts to the heat, the channel or channels 18 open and air is admitted to the holder. As a result the gas or smoke drawn into the mouth of the smoker will have a lesser proportion of deleterious gas than it would have had, had air not been admitted, but as the gas is hotter undue cooling does not result.

As the member 20 is shorter than the cigarette, the latter may be inserted in the holder and then lit without actuating the thermal switch from the heat of the match flame.

Referring to the modification of FIG. 4 the free end of the bimetallic element 26 carries a member 40 which is shaped as a frustum of a cone. The side walls of the channel 42 are similarly shaped, so that when the thermal switch is cold the channel is not only closed but completely filled by member 42. As member '26 flexes downwardly the channel is gradually opened, and as member 42 continues to move downwardly and the volume of air entering the holder is gradually increased as the channel opening becomes less restricted.

A suitable closure or cap may be provided to enclose member 20 when the holder is not in use. If desired member 20 may be made detachable from holder as by making spacer 22 a ring member with an opening to frictionally engage around the holder. These and other changes may be made without departing from patentable subject matter defined in the claims.

The following is claimed:

1. In combination with a cigarette holder of the type having an air inlet channel between the cigarette receiving end and the mouth piece, the improvement comprising:

(a) a thermal responsive switch element normally closing the air channel,

(b) and means attaching the switch element to the holder and positioning it to be responsive to the heat 4 at the burning end of the cigarette to open the air channel.

2. The holder defined in claim 1 wherein the switch element is a bimetallic strip.

3. The holder defined in claim 2 wherein the bimetallic element carries a member which fills the air inlet channel when cool, and gradually opens it upon being heated.

4. The holder defined in claim 1 wherein the attaching means comprises a concave extension member secured to the holder between the air channel and the mouth piece and projecting from the cigarette receiving end of the holder.

5. The holder defined in claim 4 wherein the extension member projects from the holder less than the length of a cigarette.

6. The holder defined in claim 5 wherein the thermal responsive switch element is a bimetallic strip having one end secured to the free end of the extension member and the other end underlying the air channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 879,450 2/ 1908 Faracchio 131175 1,498,585 6/1924 Spurr 131-175 1,730,033 10/1929 Faranda 131175 1,875,432 9/1932 Farland 131175 2,166,172 7/1939 Modine.

2,233,287 2/1941 Modine. 2,422,868 6/1947 Walters 131- 2,673,566 3/1954 Belmont 131175 JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

